The spotlight is on the 544 people dancing, but out of the limelight hundreds of gofers, entertainers and morale boosters are working so that all players take part in the final scene.

"Not only are they supporting you but also diverting your mind from how much your feet hurt," said dancer Denise Pitterle (junior-finance/international business).

Reaching across a red plastic fence separating dancers from spectators, Pitterle clutched the cookies, candy and letters her family brought for encouragement.

"I was looking forward to having them here all day," she said.

Pitterle's mother Therese said she made the two and one half hour road trip from Greensburg to "give (Denise) incentive to continue."

Bringing food, games and smiling faces, hundreds of spectators came together this weekend to support participants in the Interfraternity/Panhellenic Council Dance Marathon.

Carrying a grocery bag packed with grapes, bananas and popcorn for his girlfriend, Joe Zukowski, a Penn State alumni and veteran dancer, agreed spectators can play a key role in morale especially during the early morning hours.

"You're somebody to bitch at, somebody to give a massage and somebody to say 'keep going you're almost there,' " Zukowski said. "Having people come to visit you gives you a goal and gives you something to look forward to."

Former dancer Courtney Kilcoyne (senior-Spanish) said she came to help relieve the dancers' extreme boredom that sets in once the initial excitement wears thin.

For the dancer with unusual culinary tastes or exceptional artistic skill, requests are taken for everything from egg rolls to coloring books, she added.

By bringing tokens of support, sororities, fraternities, independent organizations and Commonwealth campuses can compete for spirit awards, said Laura Russel, a member of the Overall Dance Marathon Committee.

Spirit awards are based on a point system which gauges many factors including posters, the number of couples participating and spectator attendance during the tough hours of 5 to 9 a.m., Russel said.

Aside from winning awards or bringing food, spectators can also take pride in watching the determined faces of their friends working for something they believe in.

"I've never seen anything like this," said Amanda Shandor (junior-exercise and sport science). "It gives you a good feeling just to watch."